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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — for golf
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. stock — goods
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a ring
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com